


Revelations

by WARendfeld



Series: Transformers: Armada (Revisited) [12]
Category: Transformers (Unicron Trilogy)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-11
Updated: 2019-09-11
Packaged: 2020-10-14 07:22:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,421
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20596922
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WARendfeld/pseuds/WARendfeld
Summary: As a joint human-Autobot operation begins, the Decepticons attack. Meanwhile, Sideways reveals his true self, and two Autobots are reborn.





	Revelations

“You must be insane!” Not even a critical glance from Vector Prime was able to dissuade King Atlas from continuing to scoff at the idea. “Spark extractors?! New bodies for those two idiots?! Hot Shot shouldn’t have even gone to Earth in the first place, and Smokescreen was suicidal for even thinking of–!”

“Can it be done?”

Before the ivory Autobot could protest his interruption, the ancient Prime turned to Jetfire. “The theory is sound. I see no reason why it should not at least be attempted.”

A glint of joy was just visible in the shuttle’s optics. “That’s all I needed to hear. Check with the Forge and see what you can find. I’ll call ahead and let them know you’re coming.”

A grateful nod, and Vector Prime turned to depart from the Autobot second-in-command’s office. Turning to his fellow flyer, Atlas bitterly asked, “Am I the only one with any sense of perspective here?”

“Depends on how you define perspective.” Staring his taller subordinate in the optics, Jetfire noted, “Right now we’ve got two Autobots alive but seriously damaged, thanks to a third who was declared MIA over two vorns ago because you refused to look for him. All of this could have been avoided if you’d simply gone into that fire and gotten him out.”

Atlas crossed his arms. “Forgive my being blunt, commander, but the past is past. Right now, we have an Autobot recruit who went AWOL and joined the other side. In my optics, we should be looking at him for treason before we do anything else.”

Jetfire gave a very reluctant nod. As much as he might not want to admit it, the ivory jet had a point. “We’ll deal with that when the time comes.”

-

Checking over his calculations for the seventy-fifth time in the last klik, Dirt Boss looked up at the prototype spark extractors before him. “Alright, we need to make sure that the electromagnetic field receives a constant flow of power, somewhere between 2.5 and 2.8 megawatts. We put too little power into it, and we’ll lose containment and the sparks. Put in too much, and the extractors will overload and…”

“Hey, we know all the power requirements and all that other marvelous slag already.” Trying his best to keep calm despite the Mini-Con scientist’s panicky demeanor, Refute continued his work on the first of the two prototypes. The two spark extractors were both roughly the same height as Dirt Boss, silver-colored with inactive monitor lights along their surfaces. One end was adorned by a metal handle, the other with a four-part hatch, each segment tipped by a retractable manipulator. “Liftor and I are also fully aware of the consequences of us messing this up. Smokescreen and Hot Shot die, plain and simple. Now, you want to let us do our jobs, or what?”

The rally SUV relented and the two Mini-Con engineers went back to work. Watching from the other side of the Mini-Con common area, Diana was on her third cup of coffee for the day – a small feat to some, though given her tendency towards being conservative with caffeine, it was a statement of how concerned she was. Plus, she’d at least have a cup to take her mind off the concern still lingering in her mind, not to mention her unease at the devices being built before her. A door hissed open behind her, prompting the woman to note upon hearing the heavy footfalls, “They aren’t finished with it yet.”

“I didn’t think they would be. Building things like those haven’t been done before.” Glancing down at the human woman at his feet, Scavenger quirked an optic ridge curiously. “I’m surprised you’re still here, Diana. I thought you humans required a certain amount of rest to function properly.” 

“Between you guys starting to feel like family, my own morbid fascination with this and three cups of coffee from the local Starbucks, I doubt I’m going to get any sleep anyway.” Taking a sip, she finally gave in to a nagging voice in her head. “Doesn’t this disturb you? I mean, they’re building devices to capture your souls, for crying out loud.”

“I thought your people would occasionally harvest organs from the recently deceased in order to help the living to survive.”

“Transplanting a heart or a kidney is one thing, but soul transference?” Shaking her head uneasily to try and clear her mind, she elaborated. “I get that this is being done to help save their lives, but I can’t help but be reminded of some things that were done in the name of science in my world’s history. During World War II, scientists in Nazi Germany performed all sorts of experiments on living subjects; seeing how long they could live with a bare minimum of food and drink, how long they could survive in frigid environments, how they were affected by poisons and bacterial infections and so on. A lot of knowledge was gained, but at the cost of untold lives.” 

“I’m aware of those experiments. Last I checked, those experimented upon were generally innocent civilians or political prisoners. Those administering the treatments could care less if they lived or died, and none gave their consent. Your analogy isn’t exactly the best one possible.” 

“My point is that medical science can be used for good and for ill, not that medicine is wrong or that it doesn’t ultimately save lives.”

“And that you think the idea of taking something analogous to a soul and drawing it into a metal canister is a little bit on the shady side.” The old bulldozer nodded. “I can’t say that I blame you. I suspect that if there were an easier way, Red would be going with it instead. Still, right now, these spark extractors are their best option.”

“I just hope they work.” The door hissing open behind her again, she turned to see Optimus walking inside. “Checking in?”

“Something like that.” The Autobot leader looked to the Mini-Cons working on the extractors. “How close are you to being finished?”

“I don’t like putting a finite estimate on these things, but I’ve got the math worked out. We should be ready to power these things up in about two kliks, maybe less.”

“Can Refute and Liftor finish the work without you?” Turning to Scavenger, the red semi elaborated, “We’ve gotten word from Col. Franklin that another escape pod has been unearthed in Alaska. I’m heading out with Blurr, the Air Defense Team and the Race Team to recover the Mini-Cons inside.”

“You sure you don’t need more help out there?”

“Odds are the Decepticons are totally unaware of the site, and two Autobots stand a better chance of going unnoticed than more. Besides, I suspect Red’s going to need all the help he can in getting Hot Shot and Smokescreen totally repaired, and someone will need to keep an eye on our guest regardless.”

Fully aware of the mysterious Sideways, Scavenger nodded. “Fair enough. Good luck.”

Anticipating a protest from the fussy scientist concerning leaving his work unfinished, Liftor cut him off. “Relax, Dirt Boss. If there’s some problem in your math, I’m sure Red and Longarm will catch it. Besides, it looked plenty sound to me when I glanced it over. We can finish up the mechanical details easy enough.”

Finding himself outvoted, the yellow and grey Mini-Con held up his arms in surrender. “Alright, let’s get moving. The sooner we get there, the sooner all this is cleared up.” 

-

Having learned all he needed to know from the ship’s archives, Sideways gave himself a small, satisfied smile. He’d completed his mission, infiltrated his target and left what he needed to. Now, however, he needed to repay his hosts for their hospitality. Accessing the communications systems, he figured out the best way to do so. “Let’s give these Autobots something to occupy themselves with, hm?”

-

His meeting with his fellow conspirators over, Starscream watched as they exited his quarters, a little more relaxed now that he had more allies watching his aft. However, something bothered him. “Thundercracker, can you spare a nano-klik?” The blue Seeker halting just before departing, he asked, “Something looks like it’s troubling you. Mind bringing it to my attention?” 

His friend shook his head. “Vector Prime was with Optimus and Scavenger on Earth, when Demolishor and I were fighting them alongside Thrust. I’m not sure if it’s something we need to seriously worry about, but isn’t it a little odd that the last of the First Thirteen is on this planet?”

A nod. “Yes. You and Demolishor should have mentioned that already. No surprise at how he got here, given the ChronoSaber’s abilities, but that doesn’t explain why it he’s here.”

“You think there’s something you don’t know?” 

A modest grin. “There are a lot of things that I don’t know. This thing, however, is what’s bothering me.” Glancing out his window, he noted, “I’m starting to think it might just be more than coincidence that brought us to this planet.”

Before Thundercracker could ask him to elaborate, the red Seeker’s communicator chirped. _:“Starscream, report to the command deck immediately.”:_ A glance was shared between the two, the guarantee that more talk would be done over the topic later left unsaid, and they went their separate ways. 

-

Northern Alaska in mid-autumn was dark, cold and very inhospitable. Only the heartiest or the most foolish of men would venture out into these areas at night, especially in the midst of a storm. Machines, however had greater tolerances than men, but even with headlights blazing, snow tires and chains outfitted and additional power routed into his engine thanks to the five Mini-Cons linked up with him, the Autobot leader was still making little headway against the night. While they were still unable to reach the dig site directly due to interference from the Earth’s magnetic field, Optimus wished that the storm weren’t quite as prevalent.

However, odds were that his situation was slightly better than that of his escort. Shifted into his flight mode and linked up with both the Race Team and his Mini-Con partner, Blurr did an excellent job of keeping pace with his commander despite the cold and snow. However, he had kept silent throughout the mission – while something of a stoic, it was unusual for him to not speak at all. 

Finally, Optimus decided to force the issue and end the silence. “Something on your mind, Blurr?” 

The younger Autobot kept silent, but finally muttered, “It’s nothing, sir.”

“The conditions around us are hardly nothing. Besides, you’re obviously considering something, and last I checked it was a bad idea to keep things bottled up.”

After a couple nano-kliks, Blurr relented. “I’m worried about Hot Shot. And as much as I hate to admit it, a small part of me feels like I’m responsible for him being in his condition. If I’d stayed with him rather than battled Cyclonus, I could have stopped Wheeljack from trashing him and Smokescreen.”

The Autobot leader could understand; he’d lost close associates himself in the past. But he also knew that worrying about them would solve nothing. “Perhaps, but we aren’t in the business of investigating every possibility. You made a judgment call, and I won’t fault you for it in the slightest. Besides, Hot Shot is in the best of hands. Red will get him and Smokescreen back in full working order in no time.”

“Assuming of course that those spark extractors actually work.” Dirt Boss’s voice was clear despite the howl of the wind. “I might be a genius, but there’s nothing stopping my math from being wrong. Besides, prototypes have a terrible tendency to break down and not work. That’s why you make multiple ones and make sure everything’s written down when you experiment. And that’s not assuming…”

“Sabotage?” Were he in robot mode, Mirage would be shaking his head. “Why do you think Scavenger isn’t out here with us?”

“And if Sideways is indeed sincere in his claims, then we have nothing to worry about. Once matters are settled with this pod, the treaty negotiations and our injured, we can help him repair his ship and depart.” 

“And assuming that he isn’t sincere, and he can somehow, through some unforeseen abilities, defeat Scavenger and trash the _Ark_?”

The third member of the Race Team gave a dark chuckle. “Then we’re slagged.”

A groan escaped the physicist’s radio. “Always the optimism.”

-

His second in command entering the command deck at last, Megatron smiled. “Starscream, excellent. I’ve something to bring to your attention.” Gesturing to a nearby communications terminal, he elaborated, “We have an incoming message, from Earth. No discernable origin point and no identification marker.”

Admittedly curious, the Seeker stepped forward. “I doubt the Autobots have suddenly decided to call us up to ask for a cup of Energon, and we would have picked up on any Decepticon ships in the area. Whatever the source, this is highly suspect.”

“Indeed. However, I doubt anyone would risk contacting us unless it was something of great importance. The niceties must be observed, and curiosity must be satisfied.” Opening the communications line, he addressed the speaker. “Your transmission is received. To whom am I speaking?”

_:“I assume I am speaking to Lord Megatron of the Decepticons?”:_

“You are.”

_:“Then you speak to a friend. I offer information to you, my lord. As we speak, the Autobots are building an alliance with one of the human governments. Already the fleshlings are working to help them recover an escape pod from the _Exodus_.”:_

The interests of both Decepticons were caught, albeit for different reasons. Megatron, however, opted to press on. “At what location?”

The screen quickly displayed an image of Alaska, a flashing dot marking the location of the Mini-Con escape pod. _:“Optimus Prime is already en-route, and the site is lightly defended. If you move quickly enough, you can end this conflict, and finish what you started earlier.”:_

Curious but growing suspicious, the Decepticon tyrant raised an optic ridge quizzically. “Interesting. And I should trust this information, why?” 

_:“Does trust really matter? The better question is; can you afford to let another pod escape your grasp? Think wisely, Megatron. Something like this doesn’t happen every vorn.”:_

The transmission cut off. At Megatron’s glance, Starscream quickly gave his opinion. “I suspect that this is some variety of trap, milord. We have no way of verifying this transmission, no means of confirming the sender’s identity. Also, that area is notorious for unusual electromagnetic activity. We couldn’t confirm the presence of a Mini-Con pod if we tried.” 

A nod, then the tyrant turned to his tactician. “Thrust?”

The smaller of the two Seekers proudly straightened himself. “While Starscream raises some valid points, my liege, I’d like to point out that there’s only one way to confirm or deny these claims, and that is to investigate them in person. Besides, can we really take the chance that there is a pod down there, and allow the Autobots to retrieve it?”

“No, we cannot.” Turning from the monitor, he noted, “Besides, this will give Wheeljack a chance to improve upon his already impressive record, and us a chance to educate the humans of the folly of allying themselves against us. Gather the troops, Starscream; we have a pod to locate.”

-

Optics slowly came alive as processors fired. Assorted systems and subsystems all came to life as he took in his surroundings, internal diagnostics running across his vision. 

“Smokescreen, can you hear me?”

“Red, I can hear you just fine.” The newly-repaired Autobot sat up and looked at the medic before jumping to his feet. “Whatever you did, it worked…” Noticing something was slightly off, he asked, “Am I taller?”

Instinctively heading for a reflective surface as he brought up his new specifications, Smokescreen quickly realized that things were very different for him with this new body. Where he was once an orange and dark blue utility truck, he now stood a white, orange and brown power excavator, one arm a massive and powerful shovel-arm and the other equipped with a Powerlinx port in the palm of its hand. 

“I was unable to find a body which matched your original one.” He turned to find Vector Prime standing beside the berth which carried his previous form, the armor darkened to black and assorted shades of grey and several parts removed. “I hope you won’t mind this new body.”

A laugh. “You kidding? I like this! Granted, no more long range cannon, but now I can actually turn my head and see things!” His optics finding Hot Shot’s similarly grey form, he asked, “What about the kid?”

“I’m still preparing his new body for spark transplant.” Lifting a now-empty spark canister, the medic noted, “As dangerous as these devices could be, they were quite useful. I only hope I don’t have need of them again after this cycle.”

“Better to have it and don’t need it than need it and don’t have it, Red. Besides, I wouldn’t be here without it.” Flexing his new excavator arm and wondering how much he’d be able to lift, the newly-rebuilt Transformer smiled. “By the way, I’d prefer not to be called Smokescreen anymore; new body, practically a new me, so I might as well get a new name to go with it. From here on in, call me Hoist!”

-

“Giant robots, sir?” Major Sheppard looked at the colonel with disbelief. “No offense meant, but last I checked, those things were only in Japanese cartoons.”

“Only two groups qualify as ‘giant’, major. The third is about our size.” Running his hand down the surface of the escape pod, Franklin continued, “Ages before modern man walked the earth, they came here, escaping war and enslavement. This is an escape pod from their ship. Six are inside, protected and preserved for around four million years. One faction of the larger ones is already here trying to chase them down and start the war all over again.”

“And I’m assuming that second bunch is here trying to protect them.” Shepherd looked over the silver escape pod with uneasy eyes. “Or at least claiming to.”

“Not simply claiming, Major. Believe it or not, there actually are some things out there that are exactly what they appear to be.” Turning to face his more cynical subordinate, he continued, “At any rate, they’re currently in talks to work directly with our government and military to try and prevent incidents like the ones at Tooele and Indianapolis from recurring.”

“Awful nice of them.” Gesturing to the pod, he asked, “I’m assuming there’s an important reason behind us not opening that thing up yet.”

“The last time someone opened one of these things without knowing what they were doing, they were nearly fried by a megalomaniacal alien robot with a weapon that makes a ten-inch gun look like a pea-shooter. When we crack this egg, I want someone familiar with the technology here to do it right. The less attention we create, the better.”

Sheppard wasn’t about to argue with that logic. He didn’t get a chance to do so either, as the colonel’s radio broke in. _:“Colonel Franklin, we have incoming; two units inbound from the southeast. I’m seeing one red semi trailer, another gray-colored aerial transport.”:_

Franklin quickly grabbed his radio and answered. “That’s the guests of honor, airman. Get ready to roll out the red carpet.” 

-

“So, you’re sure you’re alright?”

Hoist was beginning to get annoyed with his old friend’s questioning, but still managed a laugh as the two walked down a hall. “That’s the third time you’ve asked that in the last twenty kliks. Yes, Scavenger, I’m perfectly fine. Why do you keep asking me that?”

“For one thing, you decided to change your name.” The old bulldozer looked at the newly-rebuilt Autobot with some worry. “You do remember there’s another Hoist out there, stationed on Nebulos?”

“Yeah, but there’s no rule against two Cybertronians having the same name. If there was, we wouldn’t have a Dinobot and an Autobot on Animatros both named Snarl. Besides, I doubt he’ll mind.” Stopping just short of entering the _Ark_’s command deck, he suggested, “Tell you what – if I end up getting a new body after this one, I’ll go back to Smokescreen. Deal?”

Doubting the chances of such an event, Scavenger nonetheless decided to humor him. “Deal.” They passed through the command deck’s hatch. “Rollbar, tell me we’ve got good news.” 

With the various Autobots either incapacitated or otherwise engaged, their contingent of allied Mini-Cons were left to step up and keep watch over the ship’s operations. “Good and bad, big mech. Good news is that the storms have cleared up in Alaska, and we’ve got radio confirmation that Optimus and Blurr have made it to the dig site. Bad news is that we’ve got evidence of orbital jump activity. Looks like the ‘Cons got wind of what we were up to out there.”

A frustrated grunt escaped the old soldier’s vocalizer. “Think our guest might have something to do with it?”

“I’d ask him, if we could find him.”

Looking at the Mini-Con in disbelief, Hoist took a seat at his old console and got to work checking over the ship’s internal sensor logs. He looked up at his friend and admitted, “He’s right. Sideways just vanished without a trace less than twenty kliks ago.”

“Some kind of teleportation ability?”

“Nah, we’d pick that up easy.” Bringing up additional sensor data, he elaborated, “See that? That’s Vector Prime using his sword to create a portal to Cybertron, and that second reading is him coming back. It’s marked with an odd background spike, a lot like an active space bridge. No such luck for Sideways.” 

Not liking this one bit, Scavenger scowled. “Alright, get word to Optimus, tell him what’s going on, and then check our guest’s temporary quarters. After that, gather up your partners. Prime and Blurr are going to need backup.” 

A surprised look from Hoist as he got to his feet. “No questions about me getting back in the field?”

A quirked optic ridge and a grin. “You weren’t too willing to take no for an answer before. Why would you start now?”

-

With little fanfare, the two Autobots and their Mini-Con allies slowly entered the prefabricated complex and transformed, the smaller Cybertronians disconnecting from them as they did so. Waiting for them with a couple guards and the major was the colonel, relief clear on his face. As the doors closed behind them, he walked up to greet them. “Optimus Prime, Blurr, welcome. My apologies for the shabby accommodations. Any news about your two injured men?”

Having to kneel in order to fit within the artificial structure unlike his subordinate, Optimus was nonetheless glad for the welcome. “Red Alert is still working on them, but the prognosis looks positive. Thank you for your concern, Colonel, as well as all this.” 

“Yes, thank you very much for making our jobs much easier.” Striding up with the various Mini-Cons, Dirt Boss asked with a tone indicating annoyed impatience, “Now, you mind leading us off to the pod? It’s only a matter of time before the Decepticons show up, so the sooner we get out of here, the better.”

Gesturing down the hall, the colonel and his men led the nine Mini-Cons towards the chamber at the opposite end. With an aside glance towards one of the Mini-Cons resembling an aircraft, Shepherd asked, “He always like this?”

“Dirt Boss? Yeah, but you get used to it.” Giving a small laugh, Jetstorm added, “Underneath that prickly, pessimistic, grime-covered exterior of his is the spark of a saint. He just needs to work on that superiority complex of his.” 

“It doesn’t hurt to have past experience on my side!” the rally SUV called back as they reached the second door. “Just because we haven’t heard anything from the Decepticons doesn’t mean they aren’t coming!”

Getting more than a little fed up with the Mini-Con physicist, the major quipped sarcastically, “Well, isn’t that a pleasant thought.”

The gathered Mini-Cons and their human escorts entered the second chamber, taking a close look at the suspended escape pod. His concerns lessened, Dirt Boss approached and inspected it. “Not a bad setup. Rubber-coated steel chains, no obvious means for a stray spark to touch the pod or magnetism to affect it. I’m glad you people can pick this stuff up quickly. That means there’s less chance whoever is inside this pod is in serious trouble. One stray electrical charge or magnetic field could disable the internal systems despite the safeguards, shut down their bodies and cause their sparks to go offline.”

“Meaning that odds are good we’ve kept your friends here from dying.” The gathered Mini-Cons looking at him in surprise, the major explained, “Like you said, we pick things up pretty quickly.”

Taken aback slightly, the Mini-Con noted, “Yes, well, moving on.” He then turned back to the pod and further explained, “Anyway, getting it open shouldn’t be a problem. The hatch controls and the hatch are both exposed despite the chains, so all we need to do is go in and bring them online.” 

Sparkplug smiled in relief. For once, things were going smoothly. “Well, what are we waiting for? Runway, you and your team open it up and get Dirt Boss inside. Mirage, you and Downshift stay and assist. Over-Run, Incinerator, we’re sticking with Optimus and Blurr, just in case the ‘Cons decide to cause trouble.”

The three turned to rejoin their partners just as the chirp of Optimus’ communicator echoed through the small structure. _:“Optimus, you reading me?”:_

Surprise and relief in his voice, the Autobot leader answered, “Smokescreen? Congratulations on the full recovery.”

Opting not to correct him on his new designation, Hoist opted to give a chuckle instead and continue. _:“Thanks, boss-bot. Anyway, bad news – we’ve got orbital jump traces in your area. Offhand, I’d say Megatron’s found out about our little Arctic excursion.”: _

Dirt Boss threw up his arms, not even needing to say he was right, and the Autobot leader continued. “Alright, we’ll do what we can to hold them off, but send whoever you can out here to provide assistance.”

_:“Scavenger and I are already on our way. Catch you when we get there.”:_

The channel closing, Optimus crouched down low, catching sight of Franklin at the opposite end of the hall. “Colonel, I realize our treaty isn’t finalized just yet, but…” 

Anticipating the Autobot leader’s request, the colonel held up a hand. “We’ll do what we can to monitor things from here.”

A nod of thanks, and Optimus shifted back to his vehicle mode, Blurr following. “Alright, link up and roll out!” 

-

_:“Red, it looks like we’ve got a firefight building at Optimus’ position. What’s your progress with Hot Shot?”:_

The medic shook his head as he finished installing a component into the waiting body frame, having transferred it from Hot Shot’s old body. “This is slow-going, Scavenger. I’ll still be a few more kliks. Rest assured however, if we’re needed, Hot Shot and I will be in the field.” 

_:“Make that ‘if’ a ‘when’, doc-bot. The sooner we get out there, the better.”:_

The line closed, and Red Alert continued with his work. He didn’t enjoy being rushed, but after all his vorns of being a battlefield medic, he was more than used to it. Glancing at the occupied spark canister, he assured his patient, “Hold on a little longer, Hot Shot. It will be much sooner than I’d like, but we’ll be back in action regardless. I just hope I don’t have to do this again anytime soon…” 

-

Glancing over the icy landscape, Starscream seethed, cursing the dim light. “I don’t like this. We’re far too close to the local military bases. If the Autobots and humans are forging an alliance, there’s very little stopping them from attacking.”

“Except for us.” If Megatron had any concern about the human military forces, it was very well hidden as he looked upon his Decepticons with confidence. “These humans cannot begin to match us in military might, and I’d laugh if they even made an attempt. Besides, whatever spine they had for conflict has long been lost. Cyclonus, Thrust, head towards the facility and make certain that it is wiped off the map! Wheeljack, if there are any Autobots in the area, make certain they are permanently dealt with this time! Skywarp–!”

A loud explosion caught Megatron’s attention, and he turned towards a nearby hill as a familiar voice taunted him. “Sorry to disappoint, Megatron, but they’re under our protection!” Blurr at his side, the Autobot commander opened fire.

“Prime!” Returning fire with his fusion cannon, the Decepticon leader bellowed to his troops, “Decepticons, ATTACK!”

Gleefully cackling, Cyclonus transformed and primed his weapons. “You got it boss!” Thrust and Wheeljack followed suit as he zoomed towards the two opposing Autobots and laughed. “Oh man, this’ll be fun!”

The berserker’s fun was spoiled as a white and orange excavator tore onto the battlefield, transforming and clamping down hard upon the Decepticon helicopter’s underside. Unable to target him with his weapons, Cyclonus tried to transform, but found himself tossed into Thrust for his trouble, both smashing into the ground and prompting the third Decepticon to swerve out of the way. With a laugh, Hoist declared, “Sorry, you’ve been grounded!” 

The Autobot’s voice ringing in his processor, Wheeljack skidded to a halt. “That voice…it can’t…”

-

_“You want him dead, you Decepticon punk? You have to go through me too!”_

-

It was him, the same Autobot who came to aid Hot Shot. He’d gotten better. A lot better. 

Without a moment’s hesitation and glad for the distraction of the ongoing battle, Wheeljack sped away at top speed. Noticing despite the battle and going similarly unnoticed, Starscream transformed and followed. 

Laying down suppression fire as he moved around to get to cover, Blurr called out, “Starscream’s making a run for it!”

“Let him! Concentrate your fire on Megatron and keep Smokescreen covered!” He activated his comm.-line and asked, “Scavenger, where are you?!”

_:“Approaching from the other side of the hills. Aside from Starscream and the one that just left, we’ve still got all the Decepticons gathered. Hoist’s dealing with Cyclonus and Thrust, but that still leaves five more.”:_

Making a note to question his subordinate about his sudden name change later, Optimus concluded, “And with no way of knowing exactly who is on whose side, we’re going to need to pull our punches with everyone but Megatron!” He dodged a burst of fusion cannon fire before adding, “Then again, not exactly a difficult proposition!”

-

Watching the battle from the distance, Sideways smiled with manic glee. So far, things were going exactly to plan. The only loose wrinkle was that pair of wayward Decepticons. Twin bits of equipment detached from his arms, combining into a humanoid form as he transformed to his motorcycle mode. He could have always left those last two mechs alone…but why not have some fun?

-

Something was wrong, and Vector Prime could feel it in his spark. How did the Decepticons realize what was going on in Alaska? The planet’s magnetic field would most likely have prevented them from picking up anything on their sensors, and there was no other explanation that presented itself. The only logical conclusion was that they had been, as the humans called it, ‘tipped off’. But by whom? The ancient’s mind turned to the newcomer, Sideways, but what proof was there beyond an old mech’s suspicions?

Unfounded flights of paranoia or no, he was in no rush to simply let this go uncontested. He stepped into the repair bay, his sword at the ready to forgo the use of an orbital jump. “Red Alert, we are needed. Is Hot Shot…?” A surprised smile crossing his face, he answered his own question. “Nevermind then.” 

-

Checking back and forth from the stasis units within the pod to the console controlling them, Dirt Boss went over the final checks once more. “Okay, vehicle modes scanned, protoforms formatted, everything’s set. They should start waking up right about…now.”

As if on cue, the first of the six pods opened and a lone green and brown Mini-Con exited, stumbling slightly as he did so. Downshift caught him, helping the Mini-Con jeep to steady himself on his new feet. “Easy there, Ransack. You’re okay.”

Looking up at the Mini-Con racer from a yellow optic bar, the Adventure Team leader asked, “Downshift? How long have we been out?”

“A long time, and just as long a story.” Gesturing out of the pod, the Mini-Con elaborated. “Runway can fill you in once we get the rest of your team online.”

-

Having driven all the way to the edge of a massive ice shelf, Wheeljack transformed and collapsed to his knees. What kind of insane stupidity had he brought on himself? If the one Autobot had survived, there was no way that Hot Shot hadn’t! He’d been lucky the last time, but what was stopping his brother from trying to even the score? He’d practically signed his own death warrant! “What have I done?” 

Engine exhaust heralding his arrival, Starscream transformed and answered what he assumed was a rhetorical question. “Aside from run from battle, ruining your image with Megatron even further? I suspect you’ve made the biggest mistake of your life.”

The younger Cybertronian slowly rose to his feet. “Who cares about Megatron? Did you see that second Autobot! Even if Hot Shot lives, what’s stopping them from coming after me? I betrayed them, and everything I stood for!” Looking down on his chest and the gash through his Autobot emblem, he lamented, “I should’ve driven this further in! If Hot Shot left me behind…!”

He was interrupted with a sharp slap to the side of his head from the Seeker. “And what, leave behind a corpse that would never be found and a sibling forever doubting himself? You taking your own spark would have accomplished nothing! You believing Megatron’s lies and absolute slag has accomplished even less! You’re alive now, Wheeljack! You have a chance for forgiveness, one most of us never get! Not just for yourself, but for your sibling as well!” Starscream calmed himself before continuing. “You were never told this, young one, but your sibling tried to go back for you.”

Wheeljack’s optics went wide. “What?”

“I was there, remember? Megatron and I watched as Hot Shot tried in vain to convince his superiors to go in after you, watched as he was shot in the back for his trouble. It was only after that incident that we went in to save you, not because you were a fellow Cybertronian whose life was in jeopardy, but because Megatron saw a blunt instrument to be used against the Autobots, a knife to be twisted into their gut. You aren’t a valued soldier to him. You’re the same as the rest of us, merely a pawn in his grand, fruitless game.”

Confusion and frustration building, the younger mech all but screamed at the elder. “Then why didn’t you stop me?! If you knew all this, why not stop me from making the biggest slagging mistake of my life?!” Calming down, he continued, “You know what it’s like to lose a brother! Megatron killed Jhiaxus! Whatever his reasons, why are you even working with him after that?!”

“Because Megatron is not the only one invested in a long game.” The former Autobot looking at him in surprise, Starscream began to elaborate. “You asked me why I never tried to avenge Jhiaxus. This is my answer. I knew that simply killing Megatron wouldn’t settle things. What he started needed to be ended through better means, with him alive and answering for his crimes in a court of law. Seeing him be justly punished for his actions, his cause destroyed and his zealous followers locked away forever would be revenge enough for me. But I needed to make sure that the truly zealous did suffer his fate, and not send the innocent to their doom alongside them.”

“But that still doesn’t explain why you–!”

Wheeljack’s protest was interrupted as several laser bolts, identical to the ones which had strafed him after battling his sibling, lanced about their position, prompting the pair to drop to the ground. The black and gold sedan looked up from the ground to find an unfamiliar mech in the distance, the barrels of his weapons smoking. “Oh dear, two little Decepticons left all alone. Just the perfect chance to make this an even bigger brawl.”

Getting to his feet and glad that Swindle was linked up with him and concealed, the Seeker drew his sword. “Who are you?! Why attack us?!”

A malevolent chuckle. “My name is Sideways. As for why, well, you’re the enemy. Is there anything more natural?”

Starscream’s optics narrowed, his internal databanks referencing the name. “Enemy? I don’t see a faction marker.”

Another chuckle as Sideways was joined by his rider drone. “Faction marker? I don’t need any faction markers.” 

As the two Transformers watched, the rider separated into two smaller mechanoids, each roughly the size of a Mini-Con. One jumped into the air and shifted around, forming something that, to them, looked like some sort of head. It quickly latched onto Sideways’s body, replacing his own head. As he spoke, the corresponding faction symbol appeared on his chest. “Autobot.”

The first ‘head’ separated from Sideways, clearing space for the second one. The other faction symbol appeared on his chest. “Decepticon.”

One head. “Autobot?”

Other head. “Decepticon?”

One head. “Both.”

Other head. “Neither.”

Both heads then recombined back into their rider form, then seemed to shift and meld, merging into one seemingly complete piece. Its color changed to pure black with highlights of silver, bright green and deep gold. Then Sideways himself seemed to change, his armor cracking all along his body and darkly colored energy radiating forth from within. The armor along one arm shattered, revealing a black and bright red limb underneath. Other limbs followed suit, until at last only his torso remained. In a bright flash of red light, his torso and head seemed to shatter. 

As both Decepticons looked on in shock, the flash from Sideways’s transformation died down. The form that emerged was sleek and angular, black as night with an air of darkness wrapped around him. His face had no features, beyond twin points like horns and a red faceplate. As his former rider attached to his left arm, fusing with it, he noted in a differently-pitched voice, “Ah, much better.” Regarding them again, he elaborated, “I am so much more than you pathetic insects could ever be.”

-

“Give it up, Megatron! There’s nothing for you here!”

Despite fire continuing from his foe’s ion cannon, the tyrant managed a laugh. “There’s plenty of incentive to stay, Prime! I still have to take part in your recycling! Leader-1, Powerlink!”

The Mini-Con wordlessly emerged from his leg cavity, connecting directly to the Decepticon’s cannon. The entire tank battery shifted around, missile launchers moving into position as it flipped into its secondary mode. 

Recognizing that this battle would not be easily won, Optimus growled, “Fine then.” His trailer already beginning to shift in turn, the Autobot leader leapt into the air and began his own secondary transformation, the full body shifting into a head, torso and arms before combining with the transformed trailer, now a pair of heavily armored legs. The transformation and combination complete, Prime’s optics briefly flashed bright yellow. “Sparkplug, Over-Run, Powerlink!” His two partners connecting to his shoulders, he once more took hold of his ion cannon. 

“Shortsighted fool, that won’t save you this time!!” The Decepticon opened fire with all his weapons, missiles and cannon bursts streaming towards the Autobot leader as if released from Death itself. 

Despite the approaching shots, the Autobot leader held his ground, a reassuring pressure forming on one arm as the shots approached and connected, a blinding explosion forcing the many Autobots and Decepticons present to look away. 

His optic shutters clenched in reaction and his clawed right hand clamped down on a terrified Cyclonus, Hoist called out. “Scavenger, Blurr, can you see what –!”

The Autobot was blasted to the ground, releasing his prisoner and looking up to find Thrust striding up to him. “New packaging, same product; a loser, just like every other Autobot.”

Recovering, Hoist managed to catch sight of something familiar in the settling dust cloud. He chuckled, and pointed. “Wanna bet?”

The Decepticon leader noticed as well, his optics going wide and his grin turning into an ugly growl as the dust settled, a familiar shield composed of three Mini-Cons shimmered into view in the Autobot leader’s hands. “No!” 

His optics flashing dangerously, Optimus grimly leveled his cannon and answered back. “My turn.” He then opened fire, unleashing a powerful shot of energy boosted by two Mini-Cons. Where the Autobot leader had a defense in the form of the most powerful shield ever crafted on Cybertron, his opposite did not, and was blown back and onto his feet by the attack. 

Hoist laughed triumphantly before sucker-punching Thrust. “Now that’s more like it!” 

Temporarily disoriented, the Decepticon tactician recovered in time to see Red Alert arrive and transform, brandishing far more weapons than normal. On one shoulder was a pair of small rotary guns, on the other a compact missile launcher, and in the medic’s hand a heavy blaster. Without a word the medic opened fire, shooting the smaller Decepticon out of the sky in the onslaught.

Getting back to his feet, his armor battered and his weapons systems damaged, Megatron looked towards his rival and bellowed in defiance. “You have nothing, Prime! Nothing!”

A trio of streaks caused him to dodge to one side. 

“Sorry to disappoint,” Runway noted. 

“But it’s time you shipped out!” Jetstorm declared. 

“We’re ready Prime!” Sonar called. 

Optimus quickly stored his cannon and reached out his hand. Sonar transformed into the hilt of a sword and landed soundly in the Autobot leader’s hand, fingers tightening around the newly-formed hilt. The other two Mini-Con jets connected, forming a blade, and interlocked with their third. The combined jets took on a brilliant blue glow, and the Star Saber emerged. 

Fueled by anger and frustration, the Decepticon leader fired again. Instead of using the Skyboom Shield to block it as he had previously, however, Optimus instead swiped at the cannon burst with the Star Saber, unleashing a blue wave of energy and sending it rocketing towards Megatron. The blast overwhelmed Megatron’s own attack, and sent the Decepticon leader rocketing backwards and crashing into the ground. The tyrant struggled to rise, but found himself too damaged to continue, managing only to gasp before falling into stasis lock, “Decepticons… retreat…”

A remote orbital bounce beamed the Decepticons out of view, Megatron first and the others following close behind. Just before he was beamed away, Skywarp gave his sparring partner a salute, Scavenger smiling in reply. “Always a pleasure, old friend.”

The threat past, Prime separated back into his normal robot form, the Star Saber doing likewise into its individual components. Relieved that the battle was over, he looked to his newly-rebuilt trooper and asked, “Smokescreen?”

“Hoist now, actually.” Working a few last kinks out of his joints, the rebuilt Autobot assured his leader, “It’s still me in here, Prime, just a few new tricks is all.”

“We’re lucky we were able to manage it.” Red Alert stepped forward, still outfitted with his extra weapons. “Still, Hot Shot and Smokes… Hoist, rather, are both in perfect health.”

Curious at the absence of his partner, Blurr looked around. “Speaking of, where is Hot Shot?”

The medic grew grave. “He’s taking care of unfinished business.”

-

“You know, I almost regretted coming here.” As he continued to taunt the pair of Cybertronians before him, Sideways slowly rose into the air. “Figured it was a bad idea, didn’t like the concept of running errands. Then I saw just what was going on. Say what you will about your Autobot friends, they’re excellent at keeping records.”

Optics wide with a mixture of awe and fear, Starscream couldn’t help but ask, “What are you?” 

“A herald,” the newcomer explained. “A vanguard of the darkest fears you possess. Only those blinded by power and ego, or the foolish, can’t see me for what I am.”

The realization hit the Seeker hard as he gasped, “Unicron.” A surprised look from Wheeljack complementing his comment, he reasoned aloud, “He sent you. But how did he create you?! He destroys life, warps it to his own ends! He doesn’t create it!”

“What makes you think he created me?” With a malevolent laugh and no intention of expanding upon his origins, the herald continued, “He heard their call, same as you did. He sent me ahead, to make inquiries, see what all could be seen about you. So far, I’m not impressed. You have no idea the powers your ancestors possessed, no idea of your full potential. The chaos you’ve unleashed upon yourselves in this war will consume you when my master comes.” An orange aura of energy formed around his body. “But no point tipping anyone off now, is there?”

Suddenly, clouds formed in the skies above them. Sideways’s aura shot forth from his body into the clouds, only to streak back into him, heading directly towards a slot in his shield. As the energy touched the slot, he cried out, “Cyber Key, LOCK!” For a brief second, a blast of silver and orange energy, shaped like a key rimmed with spikes, flashed around him. His shield deployed four prongs, and he pointed the end directly at the two Decepticons. The prongs glowed a brilliant orange, a ball of energy forming at the shield’s tip, then firing outwards. 

The blast connected with the ice at their feet, shattering it. On instinct, Starscream rose into the air, only with Wheeljack’s cries remembering his comrade. Below, the young Cybertronian scrambled to grab hold of the ice, his hands grasping for purchase and failing…

…Only to have something far more stable take hold instead. Looking up, the former Autobot looked in surprise at his savior.

The robot that had saved him from falling had armor of medium yellow, black, and pale medium blue, with twin wing-like protrusions extending from his shoulder blades. As the robot struggled to maintain his grip, dental plates gritted, he gave a determined promise. “I’m not leaving you, Wheeljack! Not this time!”

Recognition flooded the black and gold sedan’s optics. “Hot Shot!”

Landing beside the Autobot, Starscream extended a hand, Wheeljack reaching up for it on instinct and allowing the two to let him climb back onto the ice shelf. Wheeljack’s sibling looked at him with a grin. “Surprise.” 

Far above them, Sideways was less than impressed with the family reunion. “Well, that’s disappointing.” He readied his weapon again. “Oh well. Second time’s the charm!”

A high-powered energy shot hit the ebon-armored herald from the side, forcing him to turn away from his targets and towards a new one. Righteous fury in his optics as he bared down upon the herald, Vector Prime drew his sword and declared, “You are unwelcome here, herald. Leave this place, or be destroyed.”

“Hmm… How about I go with option three?” Giving off a taunting laugh, Sideways transformed into vehicle mode and flew around in a haphazard manner, firing potshots at his opponent. 

Down below, Wheeljack looked at his sibling in amazement, trying to speak but left unable to find the right words. “Hot Shot, I thought… How did… You–?”

“We both made mistakes, Wheeljack.” Offering a hand, one sibling looked to another. “What do you say we put them behind us, and try again?” 

The former Autobot looked at the offered hand, then into the optics of his sibling. In an instant, it felt like all the anger that he’d felt towards Hot Shot, all his rage and frustration, both at his sibling for having been left behind and at himself for what he had very nearly done, had faded. A relieved smile growing on his face, he took the offered hand and squeezed. “You got it, bro.”

Clearing his vocalizer in order to get the attention of the two young Cybertronians, Starscream returned their attention skywards. “I hate to interrupt this tender moment, but we aren’t quite out of the smelting pool yet. Whatever that thing is, he’s far too fast for Vector Prime to hit. He needs cover fire.”

Flashing a reassuring grin, Hot Shot pulled out his new rifle. “Got that covered. You ready Jolt?” 

Zooming in from the distance, the little red Mini-Con helicopter whooped in joy. “Coming in! Powerlink!” He soon found purchase, interlocking with the rifle and supercharging it. 

A pleased smile growing on his face, the Seeker looked to his partner’s hiding place and asked, “Well, are you going to join in, or not?” 

Grumbling as he disconnected from beneath his partner’s cockpit, Swindle emerged, then locked in to the Seeker’s primary port. “The things I do for spark and planet.” As he locked into place, twin cannons popped into position over the Seeker’s shoulders, energy charging at their tips. 

Together, the young Autobot and the experienced Decepticon took aim and fired. Sideways jumped right into the path of fire and a burst of laser and a continuous beam of null energy plowed into his underside. He transformed to robot mode and cast his glance upon the three Cybertronians below, and then laughed. “Not bad, but it’ll take more than that to hurt me.”

A bright green aura of energy distracting him, the herald turned as Vector Prime declared, “Then perhaps I may be able to finish what they started.” The aura surged skyward from the ancient Prime’s body, the clouds swirling around the oncoming burst. Within seconds, the energy returned, amplified, and condensed into a key-shaped form. “Cyber Key, LOCK!”

The key slid into a slot on his chest, flashing green and deep silver before disappearing, as Sideways unleashed a beam of energy from his weapon. A massive green field of energy appeared in the air between the opponents, holding the beam in check. “Give up the fight, old mech! Die like your siblings!”

Spurred on by the herald’s attempt at disheartening him, the ancient Prime declared, “Never!” The shield condensed back into the deep red core in his chest, then blasted back out as an overwhelming burst of energy. The blast tore through Sideways’s own and then sent the herald slamming into the ground, disintegrating his right arm in the process. 

Exhausted from his attack, Vector Prime floated down to the ground. The ancient Cybertronian collapsed as he landed, Starscream quickly moving to support him. “Relax, Vector Prime. You did it.”

His speech ragged, the ancient corrected the younger Cybertronian. “No, I did not.” His gaze moved towards where the herald fell. “If that abomination is anything like his creator, he will not be disabled for long.”

Vector Prime’s words were proven true as Sideways literally rushed him, digging into the ancient Transformer’s throat with his remaining hand. As the herald’s faceplate glowed a malevolent red, his right arm regenerated itself and then grabbed hold of the Seeker’s throat in turn. Giving a dark chuckle, he turned his head around 180 degrees as sparks of electricity formed at the tips of his horns. “And just to make sure we aren’t interrupted!” Twin lightning bolts burst forth from his head, arcing towards Hot Shot and Wheeljack. 

Before either could reach their targets, Wheeljack pulled out his stun batons, positioning them in order to catch the electrical bursts before they could hit. He braced himself and then crossed the batons in front of his chest, the electrical bursts following them. “What are you waiting for, the Stellar Convergence?! SHOOT HIM!”

Raising his weapon and opening fire, Hot Shot blasted Sideways directly in the head. The juggernaut Transformer was barely fazed, laughing in response to the laser bolts. “You kids want to go first?” He released his two opponents and then turned his body around entirely, marching towards them while still shooting out lightning from his head. “Fine then. Who’s first?”

“You.”

As Sideways turned towards the new voice, a full-on cannon blast hit him square in the face. 

Flanked by the other Autobots, their weapons firing directly into the herald, Optimus continued firing and called out, “All of you get out of there, now!” 

The young Autobot nodded then transformed to his new vehicle mode, resembling an Aston Martin sports car rather than the Audi he formerly resembled. “Come on!” After brief hesitation, Wheeljack followed suit, Vector Prime and Starscream launching skyward with the distraction. 

“Optimus, Sideways is–!”

“We heard everything! Hot Shot kept a comm.-line open with Red the whole time!” 

Barely fazed by the barrage set against him, Sideways jumped out of the line of fire and laughed. “Please, you’re all pathetic! Nothing you’ve got can so much as scratch me!”

Lifting his ion cannon and signaling his team to hold their fire, Optimus took hold of a seam at the top of his chest, a brilliant bright blue light shining within. “Care to test that theory?” 

As Sideways’s faceplate darkened, the Autobot leader opened his chest, a massive blue burst of light shooting out from the Matrix of Leadership and enveloping his body. Even as he began to be slowly torn apart, he began to laugh. “Nice to see you aren’t afraid to fight, Prime, but your artifacts can’t hold me back for long! There’s more to me than you know, and more heralds where I came from! You’ll see me again–!”

The herald disintegrated as the light of the Matrix faded, seemingly leaving him destroyed. Prime’s chest closed silently as he declared, “Then we’ll defeat you. Again.”

The two brothers skidded to a halt before transforming and looked upon the place on the ground where Sideways once stood. Aghast, Wheeljack turned to his brother and asked, “Would someone mind explaining what the slag just happened?!”

Two simultaneous clicks interrupted him, Blurr pointing both his weapons at the turncoat. “I could ask the same thing about you.” 

“Blurr!” Hot Shot called in protest, moving to protect his sibling. 

“Stand down, all of you!” All three stood at attention as Optimus approached, even Wheeljack doing so out of reflex. Lowering his guns, Blurr watched as the Autobot leader locked optics with the young Cybertronian. “I’ll handle this.”

The black and gold former Autobot looked at his former commander, fear clear upon his optics. This was it; no court martial, no sentencing, he wasn’t even going to be taken out. He was just going to be shot where he stood. Steeling himself, he decided that if Hot Shot could face his fate, then he could do no less. 

After regarding the former Autobot silently, Optimus placed his cannon in storage. “It’s rare that I can take pleasure in taking an Autobot’s name off of the MIA last. I have every intention of savoring this.” He raised an arm, and gently laid a hand upon the young Cybertronian’s shoulder. “Welcome back to us, Wheeljack. I can’t begin to imagine what you’ve suffered, and in no way does it excuse what has happened in the last few cycles, but I’m glad to see you online after all this time.” 

Relief clear in his optics, Wheeljack relaxed and slumped slightly. “Thank you, sir.”

Disbelief clear in his, Blurr looked at his commander and cried out in shock. “Optimus, you can’t be serious! He betrayed us, nearly killed Hot Shot and Smokescreen…Hoist…whichever!”

“‘Nearly’ being the operative word,” Red Alert pointed out. 

“And many Autobots and Decepticons could say the same about me.” Landing among the gathered Autobots with Vector Prime, Starscream chipped in for the younger mech. “And for now, they’d be right.” Looking upon him, he noted, “Had I been able to, you would have been returned to them. I owe you my apologies as well, for being afraid to break what precious cover I had.”

Looking first at the Seeker, then to his former commander, then his sibling, Wheeljack nodded. “Given all this, I think I can understand.”

Beneath his faceplate, Optimus smiled, and then looked to the young sniper. “You aren’t wrong, Blurr. But it isn’t our place to settle the matters concerning Wheeljack’s actions. We’ll let the Cybertron Judiciary address them when the time comes. For now we seem to have greater problems.”

“Agreed.” His systems having recovered, Vector Prime stowed away his sword. “That abomination was a herald of Unicron. His presence here on Earth proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Chaos Bringer is indeed moving. We must end this pointless conflict and stand together against our greatest foe, or our existence will be for naught.”

Looking to the young Cybertronian, Starscream gently pressed him. “We face a greater danger than Megatron now. For countless vorns, our people have been divided because of him, in this case brother literally cast against brother. His insane quest for power led to the Mini-Con exodus, and his division of the Decepticons has tarnished us forever. He refuses to see that his mad quest is pointless and that there are much greater stakes involved than simply gaining possession of the Mini-Cons. He must be stopped, and while I have allies, I need all the help I can get.”

Looking to the ancient Prime, the young Decepticon asked, “But what about Unicron? How do we stop him?”

Vector Prime merely smiled. “Leave that to us, young one. For now, we need to make certain that Megatron is dealt with, and kept unaware of our own efforts. We all have our roles to serve, and I suspect yours is waiting for you.”

“And if that isn’t incentive enough, I’m certain that once all of this is dealt with, I can put in a good word for you with the court.” Offering a hand, Starscream asked, “What do you say? Willing to fight alongside someone else who ruined your life?”

The young Cybertronian looked first to the Seeker, then to the damaged Autobot symbol on his chest, then to the Decepticon symbol on his arm. “I owe my loyalty to the one who saved my life.” He looked to Hot Shot and noted with a smile, “But a lot of people have saved my life recently.” He then turned to Starscream again and took the offered hand. “I’m in.”

The red Seeker returned the smile. “Welcome to the conspiracy.” He turned to Optimus. “I noticed the Star Saber’s glow from the distance. Megatron won’t be recovering from that anytime soon. That should give me plenty of time to see about making sure we don’t need to raid any more hydroelectric facilities here on Earth. I’ll keep you appraised.”

“And I you.” Optimus promised. “In the meantime, you’d better get back to your ship.”

Starscream nodded. “Until next time.”

A grin on his face, Wheeljack turned to his sibling. “Take care of yourself, brother.” 

Giving his first genuine smile in a very long time, Hot Shot replied in kind. “You too, brother.”

An orbital jump recalling them back to the _Nemesis_ at last, Starscream and Wheeljack both faded out of sight, leaving the Autobots and their various allied Mini-Cons alone. 

“I still don’t think that was a good idea.” Looking to his commander, Blurr spoke uneasily. “Even if he is on our side again, we don’t know what’s waiting for him on the Decepticon ship.”

“You didn’t notice the other Decepticons with Megatron?” Scavenger looked to his student. “Thundercracker, Skywarp, and Mudflap. We can trust them.”

“Speaking of, what happened to the Mini-Cons in the pod?” Hot Shot asked. “Are they…?”

The Autobot medic nodded, his optics flashing briefly in the direction of all his extra weapons. “Safe and sound, all six of them.”

It was only then that Hot Shot realized that, in addition to the three weapons on Red Alert, two unfamiliar Mini-Cons rested in Hoist’s remaining Powerlinx ports and a third on one of Scavenger’s. The six disconnected, and transformed into their respective robotic forms. 

“Hot Shot, meet Ransack, Dune Runner and Iceberg of the Adventure Team,” Optimus noted, the Mini-Cons nodding in turn, “and Kingbolt, Impulsor and Quench of the Hazard Team.”

“Impressive display, Hot Shot.” The Hazard Team’s leader, white and red and notably hardy, stood tall alongside his similarly-colored teammates. “I look forward to working with you further in the future.”

Standing among his teammates, the Adventure Team’s leader did likewise. “You can count us in on that action.”

Somewhat nervously, the young Autobot stored his weapon. “Thanks, I guess.”

“Now that we are all introduced, we have other issues to attend to.” Kneeling down, Vector Prime addressed the red and white Mini-Con. “Kingbolt, you were in command of the _Exodus_, correct?”

The Mini-Con nodded. “Indeed, though that was hardly an impressive command. I assume you are not asking this for sheer curiosity.”

“If only it were so.” Safeguard disconnected from his partner and landed softly beside him. “My apologies, old friend. We hid something aboard the ship.”

“Aside from the Omega Sentinel that Optimus stowed aboard?” Impulsor shook his head. “Honestly, that’s no shocker. What else you got?”

“The Omega Lock.” 

The Osprey Mini-Con shook his head. “It couldn’t be some old data-vids. Had to be something important.”

The ancient was clearly displeased with mention of the artifact. “I take no joy from my previous choices. For now, however, we must find that ship.”

Kingbolt nodded. “We were the last to leave. With any luck, we may be able to point out where it landed.”

“We’ll need maps.” Scavenger noted. 

“Between Col. Franklin and Diana, we should be able to manage it,” Optimus noted. 

-

Elsewhere, far away from Earth, a form began to emerge from a wall. A body emerged – a torso, limbs, and a head. It gained definition, color, and took shape. 

“And they think they’ve seen the last of me.” Sideways chuckled, his faceplate glowing red. “So long as my master survives, I survive. And soon, very soon, they’ll discover that there’s nothing they can do about his return.”

Spheroids with mounted guns swarmed around him, greeting him and his rebirth. “So much yet to do. Let’s have some fun, shall we?”


End file.
